Mining machine



Dec. 28 1 7.

MINING MACHINE I INVENITOR Z MINING .ATENTOFFI MACHINE Charles vL. Bowman, Bowdil, Ohio, assignor to The Bowdil Company, Canton, Ohio, at corporation of Ohio Application May 24,

3 Claims.

My invention relates in general to mining machine chain links, and more particularly to means for holding the replaceable cutting tools in the body of the links of the chain. In the mining of coal, there is a tool carrying chain which runs around a long cutter bar, and the tools on the chain cut a cleft in the lower level of the vein of the depth of the cleft out in the vein of coal be as narrow as possible because nowadays the coal mines have been exhausted to the point that it is necessary .to mine much narrower veins than formerly necessary. Thus if thecoal vein is only three or four feet thick, and if the width of the cut is as much as six orseven inches, there is a. considerably high percentage of loss resulting from the relatively wide cut.

Therefore, an object of my invention is the provision of a chain link which is relatively thin and which .cuts a very narrow cleft in the vein of coal;

Another object of my invention is the provision of a body link having a recess for receiving a rhomboidal-diamond shaped'tool or tooth, the arrangement of the recess being such that the tool can only enter and leave the recess at substantially the rhomboidal angle.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a socket and lug for holding a replaceable cutting tool in a chain link without subjecting much stress upon the lug.

It is also an object of my invention to' provide a construction of a socket in a chain link wherein the replaceable cutting tool can only be inserted and removed from the socket at an angle to the forward face of the cutting tool.

Other objects-and a fuller understanding of my invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction trate more clearly the construction of the tooth and the tooth receiving socket;

Figure 3 is a front view of a fragmentary portlon of a body link, showing principally the shape of the recess or socket for receiving a rhomboidal diamond shaped cutting tool or tooth;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body link taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

1935, Serial No. 23,211

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal crosssectional view of. the body link showing the rhomboidal arrangement of the lateral sides of the socket or recess; and

Figure 6 represents a rhomboidal diamond shaped cutting tool or tooth that is adapted to be utilized in the body links of the cutting chain.

The mining machine chain is made up of a pinrality of male and female links which carry'a replaceable cutting tool. The male link is shown in Figure 1 and is designated generally by the reference character it). The female link is shown in Figure 2 and is represented generally by the reference character II. The lower part of the female body link it is provided with two spaced side members I2 and I3, which are an integral part of the entire body link. The lower part of the male link is provided with a single interconnecting member (4 which fits between the ends of the two spaced side members l2 and I3, and is connected thereto by a rivet pin l5. In order to prevent excessive wear, I employ a case hardened bushing win the male links, through which the chain pin extends. The chain pin I5 is prevented from rotating within the two side members l2 and I3 of the female link, so that the entire rotational movement takes place between the pin I5 and the case hardened bushing It. The arrangement of the two side members l2 and I3 of the female links and the interconw nected member M of the male links is such that there is provided a chain socket which straddles the sprocket teeth of a suitable driving sprocket, (not shown).

As illustrated, the female and the male body links are both adapted to carry a removable and reversible rhomboidal-diamond shaped tooth H. The rhomboidal-diamond shaped tooth has forward and rearward substantially parallel diamond shaped faces l8 and. I9; These two faces are 01T- set relative to each other at a rhomboidal angle. By reason of the rhomboidal offset arrangement, the tooth has a lower set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal sides and 2! which converge in the direction of the forward face I8, and has an upper set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal sides 22 and 23 which converge in the direction of the rear face. IS; The rhomboidal-diamond shaped tooth is adapted to be received'by the engaging recess 24 provided in each body link of the tooth carrying chain. The upper spaced divergingly lateral sides 25 and 26 of the recess 24 are adapted to engage, the upper set of oppositely disposed lateral rhomboidal sides 22 and 23 of the tooth. The lower diverging lateral sides 27 and 28 of the recess 24 are adapted to engage the lower set of oppositely disposed lateral rhomboid-al sides 20 and .2! of the tooth. The lower set of lateral direction to'the upper set of lateral sides 25 and 25. The rear face E9 of the tooth is adapted to engage the rearward surface 29 of the recess 24. The arrangement of the two upper diverging lateral sides 25 and 26, the two lower diverging lateral sides 2'! and 28, and the rearward surface 29 of the recess 24, is such that the tooth can be only inserted or withdrawn from the recess in a direction of the rhomboidal angle, which is the angle defined by the offset relationship of the forward and rear face of the tooth.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, there is provided a clamping lug 30 which engages the forward face of the tooth and prevents movement of the tooth along the direction of the rhomboidal angle. This lug 30 is held in place by means of a cap screw 3! which extends therethrough, and which threadably engages the body link. The rhomboidal-diamond shaped tooth is provided with two cutting points, so that when one of the cutting points is dull the tooth may be removed and re-inserted in a reverse manner in the body link of the tooth cutting chain. In operation, there is very little pressure exerted upon the clamping lug 30, because when the tooth cuts in the coal, the cutting force tends to turn the tooth counter-clockwise, but cannot do so, since the lower set of diverging lateral sides 27 and 28 of the recess 24 engages the tooth and prevents it from turning. This relieves the lug 39 of sub stantially all pressure. In other words, the recess is a self-holding recess, except in the direction of the rhomboidal angle.

Although I have described my invention with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination, with a rhomboidal-diamond shaped tooth having forward and rearward substantially parallel diamond shaped faces offset relative to each other at a rhomboidal angle and having an upper set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral sides, which converge in the direction of the rearward face and a lower set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral sides which converge in the direction of the forward face, of a body portion having a recess for receiving the said tooth, said recess being open at its top and forward side and having deep lateral sides for engaging substantially the full depth of the sides of the tooth, the inner surface of said recess having three engaging portions for engaging the tooth, one of said engaging portions comprising two spaced diverging surfaces for engaging the lower set of the oppositely disposed rhomboidal sides, another of said engaging portions comprising two spaced diverging surfaces for engaging the upper set of the oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral sides, the first mentioned two spaced diverging surfaces and the second mentioned two spaced diverging surfaces integrally joining each other and diverging in opposite directions to form a juncture at a rhomboidal angle along the inner sides of the said recess, the third engaging portion comprising a flat rearward surface extending to the open top of the recess for engaging the rearward face, the arrangement of the three engaging portions being such that the tooth can only enter or leave the recess at substantially the rhomboidal angle, and separate clamping means having a portion engaging the forward exposed face of the tooth at the forward open side of the recess for holding the tooth against movement at the rhomboidal angle.

2. A bit and holder comprising, in combination, a body portion having a recess, and a rhomboidaldiamond shaped bit adapted to fit into the recess of the body portion, said bit having forward and rearward substantially diamond shaped faces offset relative to each other at a rhomboidal angle and having an upper set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral sides which converge in the direction of the rearward face and a lower set of oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral sides which converge in the direction of the forward face, said recess being open at its top and forward side and having deep lateral sides for engaging substantially the full depth of the sides of the tooth, the

.recess of the body portion having an inner surface with three engaging portions for engaging the bit, one of said engaging portions comprising two spaced diverging surfaces for engaging the lower set of the oppositely disposed rhomoidal lateral sides, another of said engaging portions comprising two spaced diverging surfaces for engaging the upper set of the oppositely disposed rhomboidal lateral size, the first mentioned two spaced diverging surfaces and the second mentioned two spaced diverging surfaces integrally joining each other and diverging in opposite directions to form a juncture at a rhomboidal angle along the inner sides of the said recess, and the third engaging portion comprising a flat rearward surface extending to the open top of the recess for engaging the rearward face, the arrangement of the three engaging portions and the bit being such that the bit can only enter or leave the recess at substantially the rhomboidal angle, and separate clamping means having a portion engaging the forward face of the bit for holding the bit at the forward open side of the recess against movement at the rhomboidal angle.

3. A holder for a double-ended cutting tooth having opposed and offset angular sides and taper end to provide reversible cutting points, comprising, in combination, a body member having a recess for holding the bit in operative position with one cutting point exposed for operation and with the other cutting point seated into the bottom of the recess, the recess being large at its opening to receive the body of the tooth and being tapered at its bottom. to receive the tapered end of the tooth and to provide an abutment for inward movement of the tooth, the tapered surface at the bottom of the recess encompassing all sides of the tooth, the recess having angular and opposed diverging offset surfaces integrally joined together to form offset inner sides to engage opposed and offset angular sides of the tooth, said recess being open at its top and forward side and having deep lateral sides for engaging substantially the full depth of the sides of the tooth, and a separate clamping means having a portion engaging the exposed surface of the tooth at the forward open side of the recess for holding the tooth in the recess.

CHARLES L. BOWMAN. 

